


The Rebound Game

by jordahparrish



Category: The Lodge (UK TV)
Genre: F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Jealousy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-05
Updated: 2017-10-19
Packaged: 2018-12-24 09:27:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,447
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12009858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jordahparrish/pseuds/jordahparrish
Summary: Danielle and Ben plot to get Sean and Skye back using the weakness of jealousy. They agree not to fall in love whilst faking a relationship, but will they be able to keep the promise?





	1. The Rules of The Game

“I have a proposition for you,” Danielle spoke as she placed her hands down on the reception of the North Star, grinning when Ben looked up to her.

“How every good conversation starts,” Ben smiled back to her and leaned down on his elbows, “what’s up?”

Danielle glanced around, spotting Sean and Skye laughing about something in the next room, “we both want something we can’t have,” she turned back to Ben, he had followed her eyeline and was now watching the couple, “and I know how to get our way.”

“Danielle, I don’t know. Sean’s happy, and he’s my best friend - I have to be happy for him.”

“You don’t want to be,” Danielle reasoned, catching Ben’s eyes, “as you said, you ‘have to be happy for him’ purely because he’s meant to be your best friend. Your best friend who kissed your girlfriend when he already had one! I mean how selfish can one boy be?”

“And yet you want him back?”

Danielle hesitated and then let out a small laugh, “well, I suppose I’m equally selfish.”

Ben chuckled and scanned around the area, “so, your plan?”

”We,” Danielle gestured between them, “start a fake relationship. Get them jealous.”

Ben rolled his eyes, “that won’t work, Sean is really happy with Skye.”

“Let’s test it,” she whispered and wandered around to the other side of the desk, she stood close to him and laughed loudly - Ben knew it was fake but it sounded real, he quickly joined in the laughter and bumped against her to make it seem as though they were having a fun time, he glanced up and saw Sean and Skye looking over.

He pushed a strand of hair behind Danielle’s ear and then leaned down to whisper in her ear, “they’re looking over, perhaps it could work after all.”

“Absolutely,” Danielle loudly responded and then continued to laugh.

“Hate to ruin the moment,” Skye spoke up, drumming her hands on the desk, “but Danielle, you can’t be behind there - staff only.”

“Oh,” Danielle looked to the blonde and offered a smile, “silly me,” she moved around to the front of desk again and rested her elbows down, “I’ll just have to talk to you from here then sweetie.”

“Sweetie?” Sean questioned, raising an eyebrow.

Danielle hummed and turned to face Skye and Sean, “yes, does that bother you?”

“Why are you calling Ben ‘Sweetie’?” Skye cocked her head, “I thought you two weren’t-”

“We’re not,” Ben answered carefully, “not yet,” he shared a quick look with Danielle and then looked back to his best friend, “so, how are you two doing?”

”We’re fine,” Sean responded, “since when did you and Danielle have a _thing_?”

“Since we fell down a hole and almost died,” Danielle swiftly answered, “can you stop interrogating us? We were having a nice conversation before you walked over.”

“Oh really?” Skye crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows, “what are you two really up to?”

“Wow,” Danielle hissed as she looked into Skye’s eyes, “you really don’t believe Ben and I could have something. It shouldn’t matter to you anyway.”

Skye shook her head, “y-you’re right, it doesn’t matter,” she cleared her throat and looked around, “oh look, guests! Ben you should tend to them straight away, sorry Danielle, he’s busy - you’ll have to come back later.”

“Oh,” Danielle faked surprise and smiled to Ben, “I’ll be in the juice bar, we’ll chat when you’re done.”

“Of course,” Ben nodded and then focused on the guests who were arriving. 

Danielle walked through to the juice bar, this was going to be a fun game, and it seemed as though it was already working. She knew Skye was probably still watching her, but she decided to focus on Kaylee who was sat at a table stirring her juice with a straw. Danielle sat down opposite her and flashed a smile, “pre-warning,” she began before Kaylee could say a word, “Skye is probably going to be talking about Ben and I a lot, she’s totally jealous.”

“Jealous?” Kaylee looked at Danielle in disbelief, “oh my God, Danielle are you and Ben-?”

”Kind of, it’s complicated right now, him being my ex-boyfriend’s best friend and all…”

“No way did I ever see you dating someone with one bathroom in their house.”

“Shocking, I know,” Danielle laughed softly, “anyway, Sean and Skye seem totally jealous of it, they don’t believe that we’ve got a thing going. Why is it so unbelievable?”

”Because he’s only got a one bathroom house,” Kaylee repeated, “not only that, you hated Sean biking, Ben’s devotion to biking is even more so than Sean’s. Sure, he’s cute, but he’s not… Danielle material.”

Danielle pulled a face, “Danielle Material?”

”Rich boy, rich parents, big house, did I mention rich?”

Danielle scoffed and crossed her legs as she leaned back, “I’m not that shallow, am I?”

Kaylee shrugged and began to drink her juice through the straw she hadn’t yet let go of. She simply gave Danielle an affirmative look, Danielle shifted uncomfortably in the seat - did everyone think of her like that? She looked around to where Skye was picking up empty glasses, and then she looked down at her hands thinking about the situation.

“I guess I’ll have to prove you all wrong, won’t I?”

* * * * *

Ben finished work and quickly found Danielle when he was done, making sure Skye was present when he greeted her.

“Hey,” he smiled to Danielle and quickly placed an arm around her waist, “so I think we have something to talk about.”

“You and me, me and you,” Danielle responded as Ben ushered her out of the room, when they were out of earshot she spoke to him - continuing to be quiet so nobody would catch what she was saying to him, “I’m guessing this is about The Rebound Game.”

”The Rebound Game? You named it?”

”Doesn’t every good plan have a name?” Danielle questioned innocently, “you know, Ben, I feel like this is going to be the highlight of our lives - overcoming heartbreak and winning back our loves.”

Ben laughed and stopped to turn to Danielle, “and the rules to this Rebound Game?”

“We keep contact, don’t make up stories about our relationship without the other knowing. Most days, we walk into the lodge together. At least one kiss each day, just to prove we’re together. And finally, of course,” she placed her hand on his chest and smiled up to him, “no falling in love with me.”

“And vice versa,” he replied, showing off a confident look as he did so.

Danielle laughed sharply, “oh Ben, I think it would be way too hard for me to fall in love with you.”

”I’ll have you know, I’m very lovable,” Ben smiled, “come on, let’s go chat somewhere else.”

They made their way out of the lodge, passing Noah and Sean who were both in the lobby, Sean was watching them and then turned back to Noah to say something, Danielle grinned - it was already so easy to spark the jealousy in both Sean and Skye.

When they were outside Ben began talking to Danielle, placing an arm around her shoulder just in case they were still being watched, “so you seriously want Sean back after he kissed Skye?”

Danielle nodded, “it might sound unbelievable, but I was in love with him. Or at least, I think I was.”

Ben laughed, “I felt like I was in love with Skye, but that was only a couple of weeks - perhaps it wasn’t love,” he shrugged, “but I wanted to be in love with her.”

“Wanted?”

”Want, I want to be in love with her. You really think you were in love with Sean?”

”I wanted to be near him all the time, and sure, sometimes I took advantage of the fact that I had him,” she paused, “do you think I’m shallow?”

”As a paddling pool,” Ben retorted and Danielle hit his chest before laughing.

”I’m serious, Ben!”

“Kind of,” Ben answered honestly, “but I also believe there’s room for you to change, if you want to. Maybe that’s why Sean did what he did, because you’re as shallow as a puddle and Skye’s deep and down to earth.”

”I can be deep,” Danielle pouted, “I’ll prove it, I’ll change and be deeper than… Than the cave with fell in.”

Ben chuckled, “or the lake.”

”Which I also fell in.”

“You like falling into things, don’t you?”

“Oh, ha ha,” Danielle rolled her eyes.

* * * * *

“That doesn’t make any sense,” Sean turned to Noah once Ben and Danielle had gone, “Ben and Danielle are nothing alike!”

”Yeah, but you and Ben are,” Noah pulled a face as he spoke to Sean.

“Well, not entirely.”

”What’s the difference that makes you desirable to Danielle and not Ben?”

”I’ve got… You know, well I’m more…”

”More?”

”Muscular? And I have more money.”

“Ouch, is that all you think Danielle is about?”

Sean shifted and crossed his arms, “I just don’t get it!”

”Maybe she heard about the bet.”

”What bet?”

Noah laughed, “remember when me and Kaylee had the bet about you and Ben,” he raised his eyebrows, “perhaps Danielle wanted someone with… Something bigger to offer.”

“You really think that’s why she’s with him?”

”And he has more trophies than you,” Noah cleared his throat and taunted Sean, “loser!”

Sean rolled his eyes, “I’m pretty sure Danielle cares more about money than…”

“Did you two ever… You know?”

“Yeah,” Sean shrugged as though the answer was a given, “we did.”

Noah made a ‘pfft’ noise and raised his eyebrows, clearly surprised, “how was it?”

Sean began to laugh, “it was good,” he paused and then instantly began to frown, “what if they do it and he’s better at it than I am?”

“Is your manhood really that fragile?”

“What? No!”

Noah hummed and nodded slowly, “well, whilst you worry about Ben being a better lover than you, I’m going to go talk to Kaylee - we’ve got a date to arrange, and don’t worry, I won’t tell Skye that you’re worried Ben will be actively better than you.”

Sean faked a laugh as Noah left him, he then groaned and let his head fall back. He looked up to the ceiling and wondered why this entire scenario was affecting him so much.

“Kaylee and Noah really placed a bet on who’s was bigger?” A voice snorted from behind Sean, he spun around and looked down at the redhead who was grinning up at him.

”Alex,” Sean awkwardly laughed, “you… heard that?”

”Yeah, I also heard that Ben’s bigger, does Skye know that?”

”I don’t think Skye really cares about that.”

”Then why are you so worried about Danielle caring,” Alex glared up at him, “alright, I’m going to just go ahead and say it. You’re pathetic.”

“What?”

”Did you ever have a thing for Ben’s ex? That Ana girl? Because it wouldn’t be surprising. Ben gets girls, and you get all sorts of jealous.”

“That’s-”

”Totally right, I know,” Alex nodded, “P-A-T-H-E-T-I-C, you are pathetic.”

“Can you stop saying that?”

”Have you ever had that song by The Killers? You know,” she threw her arms out and began singing loudly, “ _JEALOUSY, TURNING SAINTS INTO THE SEA, SWI-_ ”

Sean covered Alex’s mouth with his hand, “you are going to scare away the guests.”

Alex continued to talk even with Sean’s hand over her mouth, “amf moofim muh demoss,” Sean pulled his hand away and gave her a look, she sighed and repeated her words, “and proving you’re jealous.”

“I am not jealous.”

“Sure, okay,” Alex snorted and began walking past Sean, she turned back, “can I place a bet that Ben’s a better lover than you?”

“Shut up.”

“I’m going to do it!” Alex called out as she walked away.

Sean shook his head and looked out of the door to the Lodge, he couldn’t see Danielle and Ben any more, instead he contemplated what he was feeling - Alex and Noah were both right, Sean was jealous and he wanted what Ben had.


	2. The Social Media Sweep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danielle has an idea that could work even better than just playing the game in front of Skye and Sean.

Danielle brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear as she looked down at her phone, she had Ben’s contact details up and was wondering whether she should request a video chat or not. She gave in and pressed the button, as it was ringing she held the phone up at an angle that was better suited to her. 

Ben answered the call and held the phone up so Danielle could see that Sean was in the background, “morning!” He cheered excitedly, “to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Who is it?” Sean called out as he approached Ben.

“Danielle.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t sound so disappointed, Sean,” Danielle growled, “I’m calling to speak to Ben, not you.”

“Just ignore him Danielle,” Ben smiled to the camera, “what’s up?”

“I was calling to see if you had work today?”

“I do, until five.”

“Boo,” Danielle pouted.

“Feel free to stop by,” Ben shrugged, “I’m sure you can hang out in the juice bar.”

“Because that’s where I dream of being,” Danielle rolled her eyes, “okay, I suppose I could walk over at some point.”

“Walk?”

“Mum’s out all day and night, so I was going to see if you wanted to come over.”

“Cheeky,” Sean commented from the background. 

Ben glanced over his shoulder at Sean and then back to Danielle, “why don’t I come pick you up in my break?”

“I don’t think you’d have the time, besides, do you really expect me to get on the back of your bike?”

“Alright,” Ben sighed, “I’ll just stop by yours after work.”

Danielle smiled proudly, “okay, I hope you’ll keep that promise.”

“Of course,” Ben nodded, “I’ll see you later!”

“See you later.”

Danielle continued to smile once the call ended, she was considering going to the lodge at some point simply to make Sean and Skye jealous - but perhaps a different approach was worth it. She knew that Skye followed her on social media, as did Sean - so perhaps a few pictures of videos with Ben by her side would rile them up a bit.

* * * * * 

“You’re serious about Danielle?” Sean shouted as he rode along the track behind Ben.

Ben laughed as he kept focus on the track, “why? Are you jealous?”

“Just confused,” Sean called back, “I mean… You two aren’t exactly alike!”

“Oh, and you two were?”

“Well, yeah, I mean we had.. You know.”

“Money?” Ben came to a stop at the side of the track and Sean stopped next to him, Ben pulled off his helmet and looked at his best friend, “it’s not always about how rich people are.”

“I don’t mean it like that Ben, but Danielle dating someone without money is a ridiculous idea!”

Ben rolled his eyes, “well,” he pulled his helmet on again, “I guess I’m more desirable to her than money is.”

As he began to pedal, Sean called his name, but he continued on his way to work. Sean would be following him anyway. Getting Sean jealous was all part of the game, but Sean bringing in the idea of Danielle being after money was harsh and ridiculous. He cut through some shortcuts to get to the lodge and got there quicker than usual, perhaps his frustration at Sean had something to do with it. 

He quickly jumped off his bike and locked it up, as he took his helmet off, Sean pulled up next to him, “Ben, you know I didn’t mean to insult you.”

“Well, what about Danielle?” Ben asked gently, “because you’re insulting her too, Sean.”

“You know me…”

Ben rolled his eyes, “you speak without thinking, yeah trust me, I’m fully aware of that.”

“Please don’t be mad at me, Ben.”

“It’s kind of hard not to be, you think Danielle and I shouldn’t be together because I don’t have as much money as you. Sean, you’ve got Skye. Why would you want to keep me from being with Danielle?”

“Because I know how she works, I know that she’ll probably end up hurting you.”

“Oh, right, yeah,” Ben snorted out a laugh, “because she’s the one who cheated on you - oh, wait no, that was you.”

Sean sighed as he locked up his bike, “Ben, please just be careful.”

Ben raised his eyebrows and nodded, “I like her a lot, Sean, so stop trying to ruin this for me,” he was certainly playing his role convincingly, Skye and Sean would be back into their hands in no time.

Sean pressed his lips together and looked into Ben’s eyes, he then quickly placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder, “I’m sorry… As long as you’re happy, I’m happy for you.”

“You don’t mean that,” Ben crossed his arms, “because if you did, you wouldn’t have said everything else,” he then walked past Sean to the entrance of the lodge, but Sean still followed him. 

“How about we look past all of this and agree to not talk about it for the rest of the day?”

“You kind of started the conversation,” Ben replied quickly, “I’m fine with not talking about it to you.”

“Alright,” Sean held up his hands, “no more Danielle talk.”

Ben turned to Sean with a smile, “yeah, thanks,” he walked through to the locker room, Sean still following him. He grabbed his shirt and turned to Sean with a quick smile, “why don’t we talk about something more important… Like,” he turned around as he took his shirt off, “Noah and Kaylee?”

“Ah, good point, good point,” Sean laughed as he grabbed his own shirt.

Ben pulled his work shirt on and laughed, “how long until they finally break out of that ‘let’s be friends’ dance?”

Sean made a high-pitched noise as he changed into his own work shirt, “I don’t think there’s any way to really tell!”

Ben laughed and patted Sean on the back, “they’ll come to terms with it soon - hopefully.”

Sean hummed as he tugged the bottom of his shirt to straighten it out, “hey,” he turned to Ben, “I know we said we wouldn’t talk about you and Danielle, but I just thought of something,” he offered a smile to his friend. Ben turned to him curiously, seeming to be waiting for another insult, “how about… A double date?”

“Oh, because that went so well last time.”

“Yeah, well, this time - your ex-girlfriend won’t be there.”

“Skye’s my ex-girlfriend,” Ben cocked his head to the side, “so technically-”

“Okay, okay,” Sean laughed, “well… This time it’ll be two couples and nobody else.”

“I can work with that.”

“Good, I’ll get it sorted out, but for now,” Sean patted him on the back, “let’s get to work.”

* * * * *

Finally, when five o’clock came around, Danielle was ready for Ben to show up to her house. She had made sure he’d actually be there, she knew she’d be cooking her own dinner - so at the same time she made some for Ben. She’d showcase their dinner date on social media of course, and continue to make Skye and Sean jealous - it couldn’t be that hard. 

It wasn’t long until there was a knock at the door, she rushed over to it. When she opened the door, she made sure to greet Ben with a smile. He offered a quick smile in return and looked around, “you wanted me to come over?”

“I’ve made dinner,” she pulled the door open all the way, “I hope you’ll enjoy it.”

“Oh, uh…”

“I’m going to post pictures online,” she rolled her eyes and pulled him into the house, “so don’t think too much of it.”

“I hope your food is good,” he laughed and then paused after sniffing the air, “actually that does smell really good… I should tell my mum not to worry about my dinner tonight.”

Danielle led him through to the dining room whilst he texted his mother, after sending the text he looked up at the table and was amazed to see the dinner Danielle had prepared.

“That looks even better than it smells!”

“You should take a picture and post it online,” she offered quickly.

”Right, uh… Stand in front of it,” Ben requested as he held his phone up to take a picture, Danielle posed proudly next to table, she looked past the camera to Ben who was smiling as he captured the moment, “got it,” he passed the phone over to Danielle, “you’re the genius with photos, you’ll probably be better at editing it than I am.”

“Are you suggesting I edit my photos,” Danielle faked a gasp as she took the phone from him, she quickly flicked through the filters as Ben took a seat at the table, she looked over to him and then sat down in her seat, “you want to write a caption?”

“Yeah.”

She passed the phone back to him and he quickly typed something. Once he posted the photo he placed his phone down on the table, “what did you write?” She questioned.

“Just ‘Danielle surprised me with dinner’.”

“No hashtag?” She teased as she held up her own phone, “dig in!”

Whilst Ben did as Danielle instructed, she took a quick photo of him and quickly edited it, and added a caption before posting it. Ben’s phone buzzed from the notification of being tagged, he glanced at his phone and read out the caption, “’What a darling #dinnerdate’, real original Danielle.”

“Thanks,” Danielle laughed. 

She began to eat the dinner she had made, and whilst they ate they spoke about other plans to kick off Skye and Sean’s jealousy - Ben made sure to inform Danielle of the plans of a double date, and Danielle instantly knew it was the perfect opportunity for them to play their game in a more advanced mode.

“When’s this date going to be?”

“Sometime next week I think.”

“This will be fun,” she grinned, “we’ll be able to make them totally jealous.”

“It’ll definitely be something, they’ll come straight back to us.”

A moment of silence passed as the pair only continued to eat their dinner, both of them were deep in thought about the last thing Ben had said. It just started to seem sinister, breaking up their friends for their own happiness. Neither of them would admit it, of course. They’d both stay silent of how they had started to feel about The Rebound Game, they’d be happy when the playing finished, they would. 

Once they had finished eating the dinner, Ben gave Danielle his thanks, “anything else you think we should do?”

“What’s your favourite film?”

“Johnny English, or any film from the Cornetto trilogy.”

“Cornetto trilogy?”

“Yeah, you know, the Simon Pegg and Nick Frost films? Shaun of the Dead? Hot Fuzz? The World’s End?”

“Oh,” Danielle began to smile, “well… I’m pretty sure I have Johnny English on DVD.”

“Dinner and a movie?” Ben began laughing, “oh, you spoil me.”

Danielle rolled her eyes and walked through to the living room, with Ben following closely behind. Ben sat down on the sofa that faced the TV whilst Danielle put the DVD in, she smiled proudly as she made her way to the sofa to sit next to Ben, “I think a little bit of Snapchat is called for of course, just to show we’re having such a good time together.”

“Nice thinking, oh I know all of the words to the theme song - so I’ll be singing along with that.”

“Perfect material,” Danielle laughed, when the movie menu was up she pressed play and the started watching. Ben quickly took a picture of the screen to share on his story, captioning it ‘the girl knows me well’. Of course he added it to his story, and he may have _accidentally_ sent it directly to Sean and Skye as well. They had both enjoyed the opening scene, and had a brief conversation over it, when the theme song started Ben jumped up from his seat and began singing along with it. 

_“One eye on the shadows, protecting his fellows_  
_From sun up to the moon on his back_  
_Send the villains to hades, a hit with the ladies,”_

Ben turned and winked to Danielle at the point, knowing she was recording it for her Snapchat story.

_“A stallion, in the sack!_  
_You can’t get your life back when right follows left Jack_  
_The more you see, the less you know_  
_When other’s would leak it, his service is secret_  
_Plays God when it’s your time to go!”_

Danielle had decided multiple videos of this moment would be perfect as Ben was really going out singing along to it.

_“Hey fellas, don’t be jealous_  
_When they made him they broke the mould_  
_So charismatic, with an automatic_  
_Never prematurely shoo-”_

Ben began to laugh over the song, not being able to finish the line, Danielle enjoyed capturing the boy turning into such a giggly state. He straightened up again in time for the chorus.

_“Ah!_  
_Queen and country safe and sound with villains six feet under ground_  
_And noone knows ‘cause noone’s found any trace of a man for all seasons_  
_Loves ‘em and leaves ‘em alone… so alone_  
_And you and I wouldn’t have a clue, whose doing what, why, when and who, up the creek with no canoe_  
_Watch out for the man for all seasons, loves ‘em and leaves ‘em alone… So alone_  
_But safe at home!_  
_And you and I wouldn’t have a clue, whose doing what, why, when and who, up the creek with no canoe_  
_Watch out for the man for all seasons, loves ‘em and leaves ‘em alone… So alone_  
_But safe at home!”_

When he finished he fell down onto the sofa next to Danielle and laughed, leaning close to her knowing she was still recording him. He looked past the phone to Danielle, “did you love it?” 

“I loved it!” 

* * * * * 

Sean watched the six videos Danielle had sent him on Snapchat of Ben singing along to the Johnny English theme song, he sighed as he watched it - it was a very Ben thing to do, they looked like they were enjoying it. The way Ben looked at Danielle in the last video when the song finished made some feeling appear in Sean’s chest, a pang of something - he didn’t want it to be, but he was sure it may have been jealousy. 

“You got spammed too?” Skye questioned as she stopped by his side, “they seem to be having fun together…” 

“Yeah,” Sean looked his phone and put it in his pocket, “did you see the dinner Danielle cooked for him?” 

“It looked better than the food you nuked for our date.” 

Sean let out a quiet laugh and then shared a smile with Skye, “we can be cuter than them.” 

“Oh, easily,” Skye nodded quickly. 

Sean began to grin, “how about we prove that, huh? Spontaneous date?” 

Skye looked around the lobby of the lodge, “I think I could sneak away, where to?” 

“My house? Me, you, I’ve got Netflix,” he singsonged as he held both of Skye’s hands, “and we can order pizza.” 

Skye hummed, “I do like pizza.” 

“Let’s get going then,” he laughed softly, making the smile stay on Skye’s face. 

Skye gathered what she needed and then rushed out of the lodge, out of sight of her father, she grabbed her bike and met with Sean who was stood by the gate waiting, “I feel so rebellious.” 

“I have that affect on people,” Sean chuckled. 

They made their way to Sean’s house, barely speaking as they biked along the tracks. Sean’s mind was occupied thinking about his best friend and his ex-girlfriend, how they weren’t exactly a match made in heaven. Sean wouldn’t know this, but the same thing was on Skye’s mind. How her ex-boyfriend had looked so happy with Danielle, and perhaps she should have chosen Ben that day… 

Once they arrived at Sean’s house they both pulled out their phones again, several more Snapchat notifications had sent, they looked to each other both knowing what the notifications were going to be. They then both looked at what had been sent from Danielle, a picture of Ben leaning up against her shoulder smiling up to her, a video of Ben singing along to ‘Does Your Mother Know That You’re Out’. 

_”That’s something I couldn’t do_  
_Well I could dance with you honey if you think it’s funny_  
_Does your mother know that you’re out?_  
_And I could chat with you baby, flirt a little maybe_  
_Does your mother know that you’re out?_  
_Take it easy, take it easy_  
_Better slow down girl, that’s no way to go_  
_Does your mother know?”_

Then a video of Danielle trying not to laugh whilst Ben continued to hum the song and leaned close to her as though to kiss her on the cheek. Sean rolled his eyes and put the phone back in his pocket, Skye looked up to him. 

“Still think we can be a better couple.” 

“Of course,” Sean laughed, “it’ll be easy.” 

When their bikes were set to the side, Skye reached out and held onto Sean’s hand, “it won’t seem weird… Will it?” 

“No, why would it?” 

“Suddenly posting lovey pictures after them.” 

Sean shook his head, “they’re not the only couple in the world.” 

The night continued and by one point it seemed like they were actually having a battle with Ben and Danielle over Snapchat, pictures and videos sent back and forth. Until Skye had fallen asleep against Sean’s shoulder, he sent a picture to Danielle and Ben saying that he’d be sleeping soon as well and then he stopped replying to them. Instead he grabbed the blanket from the back of the sofa and placed it over himself and Skye, he held Skye close and smiled as he drifted of to sleep. But of course Sean wouldn’t dream of Skye, and Skye wouldn’t dream of him - instead they both dreamt of their former loves. Things were going to change, they both knew that now. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The theme song to Johnny English, which Ben sings in this chapter, is called Man For All Seasons by Robbie Williams - if you want to watch the theme song you can find it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lgf0pZk7mtw


	3. So It Seems The End Is Near

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Danielle realise that their game is soon coming to an end, and somebody susses them out.

Ben sat up slowly, looking around the room he had slept in. He had slept on Danielle’s bed, not under the covers - above them and in the same clothes from the previous day. On the other side of the bed, Danielle laid, turned away from Ben, underneath the covers and still asleep. He stood up from the bed and picked up the shoes he had put on the floor. As he slipped on his second shoe Danielle rolled over and pushed herself up to look at him.

“Running away?”

“I’ve got work, didn’t want to wake you up.”

Danielle cocked her head to the side, she rolled her eyes and threw the covers to the side, “I’m coming with you.”

“What?”

“Well, you can’t just leave me so soon after our romantic night,” she joked, she stood up from the bed.

“I’ve got to go home first,” Ben mentioned as he walked around the bed to be the same side as her, “how about I bike home and then get my mum to drive me to work? Picking you up on the way, of course,” he offered a smile, “then you’ve got time to get ready.”

Danielle let out a small laugh and then nodded, “alright fine, I think that could work.”

He held up his phone and quickly took a picture with Danielle, he quickly posted the picture online with the caption ‘morning darling’, Danielle looked at the picture when it loaded on her own phone and smiled up at Ben after reading the caption.

“There’s no way they can doubt us anymore.”

Ben let out chuckle, “no way,” he repeated, “I’ll be back in twenty minutes, long enough?”

Danielle nodded, “I’ll see you in twenty minutes then.”

Ben rushed out of the house, leaving Danielle to get ready. She began so immediately, brushing her hair out and then changing into a new outfit for the day. She decided to go with a blue outfit on this day, she pulled out her pale blue jeans and a white shirt, as well as her blue jacket. She quickly changed into her clothes and then slipped a pair of flat shoes on. Sitting down at her vanity, she looked at her reflection and cocked her head to the side, her and Ben could work well as a team and they’d be winning the prizes with ease. She tried to push the thoughts of the previous night aside, because she had enjoyed that time with Ben - but her focus was Sean and his was Skye. There would be no rule breaking in their Rebound Game.

“Danielle!” She heard his voice call, snapping her back into the present, Ben was already back at her house. She rushed out of the bedroom and down the steps to see Ben smiling, “I uh… Helped myself in through the back door.”

“Oh that’s fine,” she waved a hand, “let’s get to the lodge.”

He smiled and put his hands into the pockets of his jeans before following her out of the house, “by the way,” he whispered, “just because I know Sean talks to my family a lot… They all think you are my actual girlfriend.”

“Fair enough.”

“And Ethan also has me on Snapchat, so he saw the stuff we had together, and blurted it out to my family when I got home this morning.”

Danielle laughed, “okay, so I’ll still act like your girlfriend in front of your family.”

“Yes,” Ben reached out to grab Danielle’s hand, “mum’s in the car, as well as Ethan… He might ask questions.”

“Then I’ll answer them,” she smiled to him, he opened the door to the backseat for her and followed her into the car. Ethan was sat in the front just so Ben and Danielle could both be sat in the back, Danielle had met Mrs. Evans before, when she was dating Sean - and she had heard that Ethan had seen the episodes of My Amazing Life so both of them must have had strong opinions on her.

“Hi Danielle,” Mrs. Evans greeted her with a soft voice, “I can’t believe I didn’t know you two were dating now.”

“Yeah,” Ben laughed, “well, things change.”

“It’s been a couple of days,” Danielle spoke up, “but I think we’re a pretty good match.”

“I think you’re prettier than Skye,” Ethan commented, turning in his seat, “but she was nicer on My Amazing Life.”

Danielle’s smile fell for a moment but she then let out a chuckle, “that’s fair, I was kind of mean on that show.”

“She’s nicer now,” Ben defended her quickly, offering a smile. He held Danielle’s hand as though to prove something to his younger brother, “I promise.”

“Cool,” Ethan hummed, “Ben, why are you still friends with Sean?”

Ben rolled his eyes at the question, “he’s been my friend for years, Ethan…”

“But he kissed your girlfriend, and you pushed him down the stairs.”

“Yeah,” Ben sighed as he stared at his brother, “but what happened is in the past now, things have changed.”

“I wouldn’t be his friend,” Ethan turned away again, “I like Sean but what he did wasn’t nice at all and if it were my girlfriend, I wouldn’t talk to him anymore.”

“Well, good thing he didn’t kiss your non-existant girlfriend,” Ben commented, he looked to Danielle and smiled, “and anyway, Danielle and I are-”

“Are you trying to make them jealous?”

”What?” Danielle shrieked as she stared at the boy.

“Ethan, stop asking them questions,” Mrs. Evans laughed, “I’m sorry, he’s very nosy about his brother’s life.”

“It’s just because Ben was really upset when Skye chose Sean, so he’d probably do anything to get her back. And you lost your boyfriend too so-”

”That’s enough, Ethan,” Ben glared at his brother, suddenly making his voice lower and of a much more serious tone. Ethan finally went silent and looked out of the passenger window, Ben turned to Danielle giving an expression of ‘that was too close’. Danielle leaned over to Ben, hoping that perhaps they could casually convince Ethan their relationship was real - if he found out the truth, then he could end up letting it slip if he were to ever speak to Sean or Skye. She held his hand and rested her head on his shoulder, she could see Ethan glance back at them briefly and then the boy seemed to give up with his suspicions. 

When they got to the lodge, Ben and Danielle quickly rushed out of the car, Danielle made sure to thank Mrs. Evans and she even made sure to wave to Ethan as the car left. She turned to Ben and let out a sigh, “God, Ethan is.. a curious kid, isn’t he?”

“You’re telling me,” Ben laughed, “as if all the questions I get at home aren’t enough, but hey… I suppose when we win the game, we can let him know he’s right.”

“Right,” Danielle smiled to Ben and grabbed his hand when she caught sight of Sean biking up to the lodge, “just in time,” she whispered and then tugged Ben closer as she let out a playful laugh, Ben instantly began to laugh with her - knowing what she was up to. He placed a hand on her waist and leaned down to give her a quick kiss.

“So how about you stay at mine tonight?” He asked loudly, catching Sean pause in his peripheral, he smiled to Danielle, “my mum would love to cook you dinner.”

“I suppose I could do that, mum won’t mind me staying out,” her hand was on his chest, she turned her head to look over to Sean who instantly turned away and began walking his bike towards the lodge again, “so easy,” she whispered to him, “this game might be over sooner than we know it.”

“Tell me about it,” Ben chuckled, “the double date is going to be fun, perhaps even the finale to the game.”

“Ooh,” Danielle happily held onto Ben’s hand and began walking towards the lodge, “I suppose it would make for a great finale, you get Skye alone and I get Sean alone,” she offered a smile up to him, “then the game will be over.”

“No more holding hands,” Ben teased with a joking chuckle.

“No more fake kisses.”

“No more hugs.”

“No more Ben and Danielle,” they came to a stop at the front of the lodge and looked at each other, Danielle pressed her lips together before hesitantly speaking again, “just as we planned.”

“Just as we planned,” Ben repeated, he looked down to their hands. He tightened his grip and then led her into the lodge, they both put on smiles as they entered. Sean was already behind the reception desk, having arrived in his uniform. He looked up and gave a quick smile when he saw Ben and Danielle enter.

“And the Queen arrives with her loyal servant.”

“Servant?” Ben scoffed, “if anything, I’m her king.”

“Sure,” Sean laughed and walked around the desk, “go get your uniform on, I’ll entertain her whilst you’re gone - don’t worry.”

Ben began to walk away, quickly glancing back at Danielle and giving her a wink that went unseen by Sean. The plan was working, perhaps they’d win even before the double date came around. 

“So,” Sean clapped his hands together and smiled brightly at the girl, “you and Ben.”

“Me and Ben,” Danielle hummed.

“You guys got cosy fast, huh?”

“We’re good,” Danielle nodded and crossed her arms, “how are you and Skye?”

“We’re also pretty good… Look, this whole ‘Ben and Danielle’ thing… It’s not to make us jealous, is it?”

Danielle laughed, it was a high-pitched laugh and during it she let he head fall back. She then brightly smiled to Sean, “why? _Is it_ making you jealous?”

Sean shrugged and avoided eye contact, he looked around whilst he spoke, “well, it’s not necessarily being jealous - but you’re my ex and he’s my best friend, so it’s kind of hard to avoid feeling anything about the two of you.”

“You’re admitting you’re jealous?”

Sean rolled his eyes at Danielle, “if your ego needs me to be jealous, then so be it. But hey, I’m with Skye - and we’re… We’re happy.”

“You seemed pretty unsure of that just then,” Danielle commented, she let out a quick laugh and looked over to the side as Ben returned, “well, whatever happens from here is your decision.”

She moved over to Ben and went onto her toes to whisper about the conversation with Sean, Ben nodded and glanced over to Sean before looking back to Danielle. She was smiling proudly, knowing she’d be able to easily win The Rebound Game by this point. Perhaps Ben would feel the same glory when he knew he’d be able to win Skye back, but in the mean time he felt a pang in his chest knowing that Danielle was already going to win Sean back. 

* * * * * 

“Tuesday,” Sean stated plainly to Ben as they both cleaned tables in the juice bar.

“What?”

“The date, it’ll be on Tuesday.”

“That’s uh… The day after tomorrow.”

“Well done,” Sean spoke in a sarcastic tone, “you’re aware it’s a Sunday today.”

Ben put on a smile, “sorry I was just trying to uh… Think if I had anything else going on.”

“And do you?”

Ben looked around to where Danielle was sat with Kaylee, they were laughing about something, “no,” he whispered, “Danielle and I will be there.”

So The Rebound Game would come to a close sooner than planned, that should have been joyful, but Ben may have enjoyed messing with Skye and Sean. It was harsh, sure, but it was fun. Seeing their faces when he’d hold Danielle close, it was entertaining, and even more so when they kissed in front of them. Today, tomorrow, and then it would be over.

Sean’s giggle caught Ben and he looked over to the boy, “this will be… A date to remember,” he winked and walked away from the table carrying the empty glasses with him. Ben carried the glasses he held with him as he made his way to Danielle.

“The date’s going to be on Tuesday.”

“Cool,” Danielle stood up, interrupting her own conversation with Kaylee, “are you good with that?”

“Yeah,” Ben answered, offering a quick smile, “and you?”

“Of course,” Danielle quickly responding, mirroring the smile, “Tuesday marks it.”

Ben nodded, he looked down to Kaylee and waved, “sorry I interrupted. I’m going to get back to work.”

“Alright,” Danielle whispered as she placed a hand on his shoulder, “I’ll be hovering around here all day.”

“I’ll see you around then,” he winked to her and then moved away. He didn’t notice that he was being followed, until he got into an empty room and the door slammed shut.

“I’m not stupid,” Alex’s voice made Ben turn around, the girl looked up at him, her eyes narrowed, “you and Danielle? Totally fake, although that is kind of a bummer, especially after my bet with Noah.”

“What?” Ben tried to act innocent, laughing awkwardly at the girl.

“The whole thing is fake, you two are playing lovebirds to get your exes back!”

“H-how, what uh-?”

“Everytime you kiss, hug, or even touch each other, one of you looks over to Skye or Sean if their close by and then you start whispering! Plus I was outside earlier when you and Danielle were talking about the double date being the end of ‘the game’.”

“I-”

“I won’t say anything,” Alex crossed her arms and looked him up and down, “but you’ve got to give me the money for my bet with Noah seeing as I’m going to lose now!”

“You had a bet?”

“Yeah, we made a bet on who would be the better lover to Danielle, Sean or you. I had my bets on you, thank you for disappointing me.”

Ben reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out his wallet, “how much was the bet? £5?”

“More like £50,” Alex answered honestly.

“Fifty!” Ben exclaimed, “you bet £50 that I’d be a better at… you know… Than Sean?” Ben grabbed several £10 notes from his wallet.

“Aw, you can’t even say sex, maybe I should have bet on Sean,” Alex reached across to grab the notes from Ben but he quickly snatched them back.

“Wait,” he put the money back in his wallet, “your bet isn’t necessarily over.”

“You and Danielle aren’t actually dating, so I’m never going to win,” she reached out again but Ben held his hand in the air, making it impossible for her to reach.

“Things might change, Alex. I’ll make sure you win the bet.”

When Alex dropped her arms and stared at Ben in shock, he put the money back into his wallet and placed it in his jeans. He pushed past her, and left the room. He knew Alex would be questioning his words, but she’d stay silent - probably too confused by his proposal of winning the bet. 

There were two ways Ben could take The Rebound Game, he could lose sight of the initial goal and break the primary rule, thus forfeiting his place in the running. Would it be worth the risk? He also had the option to see it through to let Danielle get her goal.

It was really a battle of his own happiness or Danielle’s happiness. 

He had been fighting the thought before, but after hearing about the bet he was suddenly certain of what he actually wanted. He liked spending the night with Danielle, watching movies and laughing with her - their laughter was genuine, it wasn’t just played out for social media. He had fun with her that previous night, and he wanted to repeat it. 

“Ben!”

He jumped when Danielle appeared in front of him, “oh my God, don’t do that.”

“Did I scare you?”

“Yeah,” Ben laughed, he looked at the girl and realised his thoughts were true, he wanted to forfeit the game, but it didn’t mean Danielle would change her mind. 

“So, I can’t come to yours tonight,” she informed him, “I’m going to hang out with Kayls instead.”

“Oh, oh yeah, okay.”

“I mean I can always come to yours tomorrow,” she shrugged, “if you really want me to.”

“Yeah, that could work,” he nodded quickly, “that’ll be perfect.”

“We can have another Snapchat battle with Sean and Skye,” Danielle teased, “it’ll be sure to boil their jealousy in time for the double date.”

“Yeah,” Ben answered, watching the girl carefully, “perfect timing,” he forced out a laugh and watched as she turned away again. He let the smile drop for a moment before he could see Skye enter the room, he quickly reached out and pulled Danielle back, grabbing her other hand when she was facing him, “you still want the date to be the finale of the game? Perhaps it’s too soon… I mean…”

“Sean’s already jealous,” Danielle shrugged, she glanced around, “and it looks like Skye is too. We’ve already got them in the palm of our hands,” she offered a smile, “ a second shot at love is just around the corner, Ben.”

Ben only smiled at the girl, she let out a laugh and then rushed away over to Kaylee, “what if it’s already here?” He questioned, dropping his head and trying to actually realise his new thoughts. 

“Oh my God,” Alex whispered as she appeared behind Ben, “you’ve fallen in love with Danielle!” She accused him directly, grinning up at him. 

“Shut up, Alex,” he whispered.

“You have to win her over,” Alex looked at him with wide eyes, “you win her, and then you can work your way towards winning me £50!”

“I’m going to try, but she seems pretty excited that Sean’s already jealous,” Ben admitted, glancing over to Danielle who was laughing with Kaylee and Skye. He looked back down to the girl, “do you technically lose the bet if I don’t have… You know.”

“Sex, yes, I’ll still lose the bet.”

“But that doesn’t prove Sean’s better at it than I am,” Ben defended himself.

“Honestly, I’m am genuinely starting to lose faith in you,” Alex groaned, “you can’t even say the word sex _and_ you’re giving up on the girl just like that… For all you know, she might like you but think you’re still into getting Skye back, and so the circle continues.”

“Prove to me that Danielle thinks that,” Ben whispered, “I just need to confirmation, then I’ll make the move.”

“Alright, it’ll be easy,” Alex scoffed, “I’ll just ask her one question, then you’ll realise you have to make a move before your double date!”

“Fine, okay, ask her.”

“Alright,” Alex grinned she looked around, pleased when she saw Danielle had left Kaylee and Skye. She ran across the room to her and grabbed her shoulders, “I need to talk to you in private.”

“Okay,” Danielle pulled back from her, “what’s this about?”

“So I know your relationship with Ben is fake-”

“What?” Danielle looked accusingly over to Ben who was watching the conversation from the doorway.

“Ben didn’t tell me, in fact I figured it out for myself. I’m smarter than everyone else, I’ve seen enough hetero rom-coms to know how it goes. You two are totally going to end up falling in love.”

“What? Don’t be ridiculous,” Danielle scoffed, holding a strong posture, “alright, you know this is fake - is that all?”

“So you don’t want to fall in love with Ben?”

“No.”

“So… Do you think Skye should have chosen Ben? So you didn’t have to have this whole mess happen?”

Danielle hesitantly looked over to Ben, and then back to Alex, “yes, she should have.”

Alex stared at her, although she was hesitant, she seemed sure of her answer and Alex was surprised by it, “oh,” she looked over to Ben who had now turned away to focus on something else, “cool, okay. That’s all,” she flashed a smile to Danielle and rushed off, as she passed Ben she only said, “I’m sorry,” and then continued through to the desk at the reception.

“So, she doesn’t want to be with me,” Ben sighed, following Alex.

“I really thought I was good at reading you two,” Alex seemed clearly upset with herself, she leaned forward on the desk. She looked up when Ben placed five £10 notes in front of her, “what?”

“For the bet,” he whispered, “I can’t win it for you now.”

“That promise didn’t last,” she spoke as she took the money Ben offered, “I won’t tell Noah about it being fake, but I’ll give it to him when you guys finish up your little game.”

“Thanks,” Ben answered quietly, he looked down at the desk, going into silence.

“Didn’t you guys like… Have some kind of rule? They usually do in the films.”

”We did, but I broke it,” he continued to stare down at the desk, after a moment he finally looked up at Alex, “you know what, it’s good, I can get over it… I’ll get Skye back and I’ll be in love with her before I know it.”

Alex pulled a face at the boy, seeing that the goal of the game was no longer what he wanted, “just make sure you’re happy.”


	4. Double Date Ditch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ben and Danielle attend the double date with Skye and Sean, and the outcome is different to the one they set out for...

Over the next day, Ben was nervous. It was the day before the double date, the double date would mark the end of the rebound game. He’d have one last night playing pretend with Danielle, it was heartbreaking to him but it was probably a breathtaking moment for her. He caught her eyes several times but she’d look away soon after.

He didn’t want to lose her. But they made a promise.

At the end of the work day, Danielle waited by the reception desk for Ben. He caught sight of her immediately when he left the staff locker room, he paused and took in the sight for a moment. Danielle standing by the desk, lost in her own thought – that made him happy. Danielle waiting for him was what he wanted every day from there on, but that was out of the question now. He had let it fester for too long. 

He approached her and offered a smile, when he noticed Skye approaching them he quickly leaned down and pressed a kiss on Danielle’s lips, this time he really meant it. It was only short and sweet but it was genuine for him, Danielle smiled when Ben pulled away.

“I guess that means you’re ready to go,” Danielle giggled, glancing over to Skye who had paused to watch the pair.

“Yeah, off to my house,” Ben let out a playful laugh, “one last night together,” he whispered so nobody else would hear.”

“Before the game is over,” Danielle continued, she held Ben’s hand in her own and flashed him a smile, “things are too easy, aren’t they?”

“Yeah,” Ben bluffed, knowing that in reality… It wasn’t easy, not for him anyway. But still, he continued to smile and walked with Danielle out of the lodge. He was repeating thoughts in his mind, he didn’t want to lose what they had, he didn’t want her to go back to Sean. Perhaps he would tell her that night, and perhaps she’d disagree - but at least she’d know.

Danielle, unbeknownst to Ben, felt the same. She had seen the way he looked at Skye, however, and was certain she had made a mistake in proposing the game - she had broken the rules of the game, her own rules! She’d be able to keep it secret, they’d get their prizes the next day, but is it really a prize when it wasn’t what she wanted? She’d have to let him go, he was always happy with Skye anyway, it was true happiness. True happiness that Danielle didn’t know. She thought she had been happy with Sean - but the boy had broken her heart, and he never really cared for her, it hurt to think of but it was the truth. Danielle didn’t want to win Sean back anymore. Danielle wanted Ben. 

* * * * * 

Their night had been different than the other night, this time they weren’t as giggly, they weren’t watching movies, singing along, and having fun. For an hour, they were sat in silence, both deep in their own thoughts - and each on their phones. Ben was looking at photos of himself and Danielle, the photos they had taken when Ben stayed at Danielle’s house. He coulnd’t even smile as he looked at them, however. Instead, he just stared and wished that the photo had been genuine.

Danielle was looking at a photo of Skye and Sean, and then she switched to the same photo of her and Ben, and then she briefly glanced up to Ben, she looked away again when he began to lift his head up. She couldn’t be caught staring. She locked her phone and leaned back against the wall next to Ben’s bed, she closed her eyes and briefly wondered how she had let it get like this, and then her mind slipped into thoughts of her and Ben.

The way he held her hand.

The way he hugged her.

The way he smiled, and made her laugh.

Oh, and of course, the way he had kissed her.

“So,” Ben began suddenly, “should we take a picture or two for Instagram? Snapchat?”

Danielle opened her eyes again and looked at the boy who was putting on a smile, “sure,” she replied quietly, then she moved forward and shuffled to Ben’s side, he took a moment before placing an arm around her shoulder, and then he held up his phone to take a picture with her. He took a deep breath and went as though to say a something, but instead he stayed silent and smiled with Danielle as he took several photos. He asked her which one she liked the best and she chose the one where he rested his forehead against the side of her head, it looked sweet, and most of all, it looked genuine. 

He began editing the photo and then smiled to Danielle, “I think a simple heart for a caption will suffice, agree?”

Danielle hesitated, taking a moment to look into the boy’s eyes, she then offered a smile, “agreed.”

Once it was posted, Danielle looked around the room, she let out a sigh and closed her eyes,

“Are you okay?”

“Hm?” Danielle looked around to Ben, who seemed to be quite concerned for her.

“Are you okay?” He repeated the question, with a genuine facial expression of concern.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m okay. I’m just… Tired, I guess.”

Ben jumped up from the bed and offered her a smile, “then let’s go to sleep, I’m tired too. And I mean, we’ve already eaten dinner… If you want to go to sleep…”

Danielle offered a smile to Ben, “I’ll change into my pyjamas.”

Ben watched the girl, she jumped up from the bed and picked up her bag before running out of the room towards the bathroom. In the time Danielle had gone to get changed, Ben decided to get changed into his own pyjamas - which was actually just a pair of grey sweatpants, he paused for a moment when he turned back to his bed. He then made a swift decision to put on a plain t-shirt, in case being shirtless made Danielle uncomfortable. He couldn’t imagine it would, but there were boundaries he had to respect. Just as he picked a shirt from the drawer, Danielle walked back into the room, wearing a pyjama vest top and pyjama shorts. The sight made Ben hesitate, he looked her up and down and offered a smile.

“Nice shorts,” he let out a playful laugh.

“Nice chest,” Danielle shrugged, smiling at the boy. Ben dropped his head and quickly scramble to pull his shirt on but Danielle laughed, “you don’t need to put on a shirt, we are ‘dating’ after all.”

“I… I mean…”

Danielle flashed him a smile and reached down for Ben’s hand, “one last social media sweep to get their jealous hearts boiling,” she held up her phone to take a photo as she stood in front of Ben, leaning back against his bar chest, Ben dropped the shirt onto a desk and wrapped his arms around Danielle. 

“This one is ridiculously cute,” she gasped after taking the picture, “bound to get them in time for tomorrow,” she sent the picture and smiled brightly up at Ben, “now…” she ran over to his bed and jumped onto it, grinning over to Ben, “time to sleep.”

Ben joined Danielle at the bed, he watched her as she lied down, resting her head on the pillow.

“I have an idea,” she suddenly whispered, eyes widening brightly and her smile growing. Ben was about to ask her to explain but her lips were against his in an instant, and Ben suddenly melted into her touch, he placed his hand on her waist as the kissing seemed to get carried away. He felt Danielle’s lips against his jaw, he had barely noticed when their lips broke apart. He went back to kiss her but instead he found she had pulled away completely. He opened her eyes to see she was sat up, grinning down at him.

“This is… Perfect.”

“I know,” he responded, giving her a smile, he wanted to pull her back down but she had quickly held her phone up.

“You look like a mess right now,” Danielle laughed, “and it’s great.”

“What?” Ben continued to chuckle slightly, he ran his hand through his hair.

“Oh, stop right there!”

“Hm?” Ben froze, Danielle quickly took a photo of the boy, Ben winced slightly at the flash and tried to hide his disappointment from her when she held the phone to show him the image. In the picture, there were prominent pink lipstick marks across Ben’s lips, chin and jaw. Danielle then quickly added a caption to the photo before sending it to her story, as well as Sean, Skye and Ben. Ben looked at his phone immediately and opened the Snapchat that Danielle had sent.

The picture had the caption, ‘and this is all mine xoxo’.

Ben looked up from his phone and cleared his throat, “not f-for long though, right?” He let out a brief playful laugh, hoping she’d believe his facade.

“Not for long,” Danielle whispered in agreement, “now, I need to go wipe off my makeup, and I suggest you do too.”

“Right.”

* * * * * 

Danielle had fallen asleep, turned away from Ben - she hadn’t shown any disappointment, so Ben was sure she was happy to be going back to Sean. He had set an alarm to wake the pair up so they could be ready for their date in time… But surely, nothing was wrong with waking up a bit later… He picked up his phone and quickly cancelled the alarm before turning to face Danielle in the bed. He pressed his lips together and closed his eyes as he thought about the girl. 

Danielle woke up slowly, feeling the movement from Ben, she glanced over her shoulder and saw him peacefully trying to fall asleep. He fidgeted and opened his eyes, looking straight into Danielle’s.

“Oh, hi there,” he whispered, laughing slightly, “sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.”

“That’s okay,” Danielle replied, she turned over to fully face Ben, “are you alright?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, “just… kind of nervous about tomorrow.”

Danielle put on a smile, “I bet, you really love Skye, don’t you?”

Ben continued looking into Danielle’s eyes, it took him a moment before he finally managed to speak, “I… Uh… Yeah.”

Danielle nodded and closed her eyes, “it’s weird but… I’ve actually really enjoyed spending time with you.”

“I’ve enjoyed it too,” Ben replied, he examined the girl now that she had her eyes closed - and he had just wished he hadn’t left his feelings to fester for so long - how wreckless was he being? Breaking their number one rule.

“I think,” Danielle began speaking, making Ben jump slightly, “since it’s our last night together, maybe… Maybe we could cuddle?”

Ben took up the offer with a bright smile, “that would be… Nice.”

Danielle shuffled closer, Ben placed his hand on Danielle’s waist, after a moment he moved it around so it was placed on her back - Danielle’s head rested against his chest, and she seemed content up against him. But Ben only continued to remind himself that the game was going to be over, he only had a friendship with Danielle - it was nothing more. It broke his heart.

* * * * * 

Danielle woke up suddenly, sitting up from where she had been cuddled up against Ben. She looked at the phone on the bedside table and let out a yelp, “Ben!”

“What?” Ben woke up, clearly startled by Danielle’s panic.

“We’re going to be late for the date!”

“Wh-what?” Ben looked at the time, in five minutes they were due to meet Sean and Skye, “oh God, I didn’t mean to-”

“We must have slept through the alarm,” Danielle whimpered, she threw the covers away and jumped out of Ben’s bed, “come on… We should… Get ready.”

Ben nodded and quickly got out of the bed, he watched as Danielle ran out of the room with her clothes, he changed into his own clothes - a white shirt, a blue plaid shirt, and a pair of jeans. Time to end the rebound game. He sent a text to Sean saying he and Danielle would be a little bit later than planned - of course they had woken up late because Ben had changed the alarm, but Danielle was still eager to get to the date. She wanted Sean. She didn’t want him.

In the bathroom, Danielle examined her reflection and wondered how it was she always came second to Skye, the cute little blonde with the smile that could light up a room. She pushed a strand of hair behind her ear and let out a sigh, “it’s all part of the game, part of my game,” she reminded herself and then took in a deep breath, “this is all my mistake,” she whispered as she pulled her jacket over her shirt, “it was such a stupid mistake,” she let out another sigh and then left the bathroom again, she walked back to the bedroom and grabbed her hairbrush from her bag, Ben was sat on his bed staring at the wall.

”Mum’s already gone out,” Ben began quickly, “perhaps we should skip out - it will take us twenty minutes to walk there…”

“Five minutes to bike,” Danielle shrugged as she brushed her hair.

Ben stared at girl suddenly, he cocked his head to the side, “uh… Danielle - I don’t think you and the word ‘bike’ go very well together.”

“Then it will be a surprise to Skye and Sean,” Danielle laughed, “as long as you have a spare helmet…”

“I do,” Ben smiled to the girl as he stood up, Danielle finished brushing her hair and put the brush into her bag, “you can leave your bag here… Then you can just stop by and collect it later - to save you lugging it about all day.”

“Thanks,” Danielle left her bag on the floor by the foot of Ben’s bed, she twirled slightly to show Ben her outfit, “so, don’t you think this is a perfect date outfit?”

”Yeah,” Ben nodded quickly, “I love it.”

The pair left the bedroom, Danielle hadn’t even applied any make up before leaving, Ben picked up his own helmet and the spare helmet, he pulled his own one on and then turned around to Danielle. With one hand he pushed her hair back behind her ears, and he kept a hold of the helmet in the other.

“It’s not too late to change your mind.”

“Ben,” Danielle laughed, “give me the helmet!”

Ben placed the helmet on Danielle’s head and buckled it up for her, he hesitated once he had tightened it, looking into her eyes. Danielle looked back into his, and Ben had felt something in his heart in that moment - but he ignored it, “we should get going,” he snapped out of it and turned away, hoping Danielle hadn’t seen his moment of weakness.

Danielle got onto the seat of the bike, and once she was comfortable, Ben began peddling. Danielle clung onto Ben’s waist and he could feel she was slightly unsure of being on the bike - he also enjoyed it, having Danielle depend on him in that moment. 

“Hold on tight,” he called out, “I’m going to take some shortcuts!”

“Oh, great,” Danielle mumbled, she braced herself and tightened her hold on Ben. As he took them along muddy paths and over bumps in the path Danielle would squeal ever so slightly. Her hands were gripping onto Ben’s plaid shirt, and Ben began to laugh every now and then. At one point in the ride, Ben accidentally ran over a puddle - he only knew when Danielle practically screamed.

“Ben, stop! Stop!”

“What? What’s wrong?” Ben asked as he came to a stop, he looked over his shoulder to Danielle as the girl jumped off of the bike.

She let out a groan and turned around, Ben saw that the back of the jacket was now covered in the mud, he could see the girl was distraught by it. She pulled off her jacket and whimpered, “it’s too cold to just wear this!”

“Okay, okay,” Ben dropped his bike quickly and pulled off his plaid shirt, “here,” he handed it over to her, “it’s blue so… It matches your colour scheme today.”

Danielle looked at the boy, still pouting, “I don’t really wear checked shirts, Ben, it’s not my style. They don’t suit me.”

Ben raised an eyebrow and then placed the shirt over Danielle’s shoulders, the girl looked up at him as he stepped back, “I think you look great in it.”

Danielle pulled on the sleeves after Ben’s comment and he could see her trying not to smile, “thanks, I guess,” she whispered, “we should… Get going.”

“Yeah,” Ben jumped back onto the bike and waited for Danielle to get onto the seat, he quickly took her jacket from her and placed it into the bag that he had brought along with him.

Danielle’s arms went around Ben’s waist again and she rested her head on the back of his shoulders. They’d be at the date soon - then they’d be over, they’d win the game.

* * * * *

“So,” Skye whispered to Sean, “I… It’s weird, isn’t it?”

“Little bit,” Sean whispered, “but this is our chance Skye… And I do love you - I do, but I love Danielle too, seeing her with Ben just set something off in me.”

“The same with Ben,” Skye whispered, “you’re sure they were only faking it? What if they weren’t and we both make fools out of ourselves?”

“Danielle was happy to know that I was jealous,” Sean shrugged, “it’s fake, I know.”

“Alright,” Skye smiled, “you and I… We had a good run.”

”We did.”

Skye looked around and cocked her head, “is that Ben and Danielle?”

“On a bike?” Sean let out a scoff of laughter, “okay, come on, there’s no way you can say this isn’t for show!”

Ben and Danielle came to a stop in front of them, and Danielle jumped off before she began to tie the checked shirt she was wearing in the front. She knotted the shirt and turned to Ben for approval, the boy grinned at her,

“Well, you two look… Happy,” Skye smiled to them, she approached them, keeping up the happy appearance, “and Danielle in plaid?”

“Quite the look,” Sean raised his eyebrows, “how come you never wore any of my shirts?”

Danielle pressed her lips together instead of answering the boy, after a moment she glanced over to Ben who was focused on the ground. She looked back to Skye and Sean, offering a new smile, “what are we waiting for? Let’s get this date on the road already!”

“A simple picnic,” Sean shrugged, “we thought it would be nice.”

Skye led the group over to where she had laid out a blanket, and enough food for all four, “I took the lead in this, of course. Sean was a disaster last time he tried to make food.”

“I was nervous!” Sean defended himself.

They spent ten minutes at the blanket, talking casually - and then Skye gave Sean a look, this look was followed by Sean asking Danielle for a moment alone to talk. There was hesitation, Danielle looked to Ben. Once again, he wasn’t focused on anything other than the ground.

“Sure,” she answered Sean’s proposal, standing up and following him away from the picnic. Before they went too far, she looked back to the picnic blanket where Ben had now looked up to Skye - the girl had taken the chance to start talking to him.

Sean led Danielle through the trees away from the other pair, he was making nervous commetns on the way, then he finally came to a stop a minute or so later. 

“So, you’re uh… Probably not so clueless as to what I’m going to say, are you?”

Danielle hesitated, looking back trying to catch sight of Skye and Ben but they were too far away now, “uh… Well, is it about me and Ben?”

“Kind of,” Sean was smiling, genuinely smiling - and Danielle realised she had never really seen that with him before.

In the past, he hadn’t loved her, not really - she was someone he put up with, not someone he loved. She’d only turn into the same person again. With Ben things would be different, he was beginning to change her, Sean wanted the Danielle that had changed - but if she were to go back to him, she’d go back to the girl she used to be. Ben made Danielle feel fresh, new, he made her feel wanted and loved.

“Danielle, I miss you. I… I want you back.”

Danielle continued to think, Ben was attractive, kind, and funny. He entertained Danielle - she knew if she were upset, Ben would be by her side. She thought back to the time she spent with him over the past days. When he sang along to Johnny English and leaned close to her, when she had watched the videos back she hadn’t really noticed the way he looked at her, but now the memories of the video were painted in a different light. Then there were times where Ben’s disappointment had managed to show through, times that made Danielle realise… Perhaps Ben wanted her too. She recalled the kiss from the previous night, and how he had been so happy to have his lips against hers, but the smile had faltered when he realised it was for showing off on social media. When Danielle had asked him to cuddle, he had been happy to.

“Screw the rules,” Danielle whispered.

“Pardon?”

Danielle looked up at Sean, a bright, real smile on her face, “the rules don’t matter anymore,” she let out a laugh, “I’ve been so stupid! Foolish! Oh, Sean, I’m so sorry!” She began to back away, “you and me… It never worked! We both know that, you never loved me, Sean. The me that I am now - if I were to be with you, I’d change back to the old me. But… I like what I am, I like what I am when I’m with Ben,” she let out another giggle, “this was a stupid game, a stupid game with stupid rules - and I’m so sorry that we did this to you, but game over! I lose! I broke the rules,” with a grin, she spun around and ran back to the site where Ben and Skye would still be. 

She slowed down when she could finally see them, and a burst of joy rang through her body. Then she watched as Skye wrapped her arms around Ben, and the joy disappeared. It was replaced with pain and the realisation that she had been too late, she had left it for too long. Before they could see her, or before Sean could catch up, she rushed away in another direction. No thoughts, no words, no smile. She ran.

* * * * * 

Sean returned to the picnic set up, surprised that Danielle wasn’t there, “where’s Danielle?”

“She was with you,” Ben replied, curiously, standing up, “what do you mean where is she?”

”She… She ran off, she had to speak to you.”

Ben looked around the area, “Danielle!” He called out, and briefly waited for a response, “you just let her run off? She probably got lost!”

“We didn’t go that far into the woods,” Sean glared at Ben after the accusation.

“Danielle! I… I have to find her,” Ben quickly picked up his bike and ran off, beginning his search for Danielle.

“We should help,” Skye stood up, clearly not overjoyed.

“What happened? With Ben?”

Skye only shook her head, and she was then welcomed into a hug from Sean, “it’s alright Skye, we’ve still got each other, yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Now, let’s go find Danielle.”

They packed up the picnic and quickly joined the search for the girl, Ben hadn’t got too far, he had stopped several times to try and call Danielle’s phone, but there was no answer every time.

“Any luck?” Sean called.

“If there was any luck do you think I’d still be looking?” Ben snapped, “what did you say to her, Sean? You must have upset her in some way…”

“She was overjoyed when she left me! She said… I don’t know, something - but she rushed off saying something about a game.”

Ben’s face changed in realisation, “she told you about The Rebound Game?”

“The Rebound Game? Well… I guess…”

“What’s that?” Skye interrupted suddenly, she pointed away from the boys.

Ben felt his heart drop, he let go off his bike and ran over to what Skye had seen, it was his blue shirt. He picked it up and held it close to his chest, he turned to Sean and Skye and showed just how worried he was, “it’s still kind of… warm… Sh-she can’t be far, can she?”

“She’ll be okay,” Sean whispered, “Ben, this is Danielle… She’s strong, you’ve made her stronger.”

“Danielle!” Ben called out again, he pulled his shirt on quickly and then jumped on his bike, “we need to get others to help find her,” he looked back to the pair, “I… I can’t let her get hurt.”

“Why?” Sean asked, confused and curious with the situation.

“Because he’s fallen in love with her,” Skye answered, Ben looked at the girl - he gave her a small smile.

“Yeah,” he paused and then pulled out his phone, “I broke our number one rule,” he let out a quick chuckle and sent two texts to Danielle, “sorry, Danielle.”

The texts read that Ben had broken the number one rule, in the second one, he admitted he had fallen for her.

* * * * * 

Alex jumped when Ben’s hands slammed down on the desk in front of her, she pulled out her earphones and glared up at him, “don’t do that! I’m only small, I scare easy.”

Ben leaned forward and looked around, “you need to get everyone to reception.”

“Why?”

“Da- Danielle’s gone missing, I don’t know where she is… All I know is… I want to find her, and I want to tell her that… That I’m falling in love with her.”

“Yes!” Alex threw her arms in the air, “joyous occasion! I’m going to win the bet!”

“Alex, we need to find Danielle.”

“Oh, I know where she is,” Alex shrugged, leaning on the desk.

“You do?”

Alex nodded and pointed downward, “in the basement, she needed some time alone… But, I think she could actually do with some time with you!”

Ben felt the relief wash over him, he nodded to Alex and then left the reception, instantly finding his way down to the basement. At the bottom of the stairs he could tell she was in the room that had belonged to Skye’s mother. He ran through into the room and was glad to see Danielle, curled up on the sofa facing away from him - she was clearly cold as she was only in her shirt. He pulled off the shirt he had let Danielle wear earlier and quietly walked forward to the girl. He crouched down next to her and placed the shirt over her torso, Danielle fidgeted and after a moment she rolled over to see who was next to her.

“Hey,” Ben whispered when Danielle saw him.

”Ben…”

“You ran away from the date.”

Danielle slowly sat up, pulling the shirt off of her. Ben sat next to her and then quickly placed the shirt around her shoulders again. Danielle closed her eyes, “why are you here, Ben?”

“Check your phone,” Ben whispered, leaning closer to Danielle. The girl shifted and pulled her phone out of her pocket, she looked at the screen and after a moment of taking in the two texts from Ben she turned to him, her uncomfortable frown turning into a bright smile.

“Ben!”

“I meant it,” Ben smiled to her, he reached for her hand, and then held it in his own, “I am… I am falling in love with you.”

Danielle leaned up against Ben, “I thought… You and Skye were going to get back together.”

“No, I told her I couldn’t, I told her all about the game. Then I told her how I had genuine feelings for you. I told her that I wanted to figure that out. When Sean said you had ran back to us… That you said about the game, I knew I had to tell you.”

“You really… Think you’re falling in love with me?”

“I know I am,” Ben replied, “Danielle Clarke, you are a wonderful girl… And… I was wondering if you’d like to be my girlfriend… For real this time?”

“I’d love that.”

Ben smiled and his focus went to their hands, they may have set out for a different goal – but this ending of the game was better than they had both hoped, he was glad. Danielle was grinning, she was clearly ecstatic with their decision – dropping Skye and Sean, going with each other instead. It seemed so much better, and they could be happy together. At last, Danielle had a chance at happiness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll most likely be writing a bit more of this, but I haven't written any of the next chapter yet - it will probably just be a super fluffy chapter of Ben and Danielle finally being together, just so you don't think their game being over means the fic is over! But it might be a while before I update!


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